Latest activity

Latest activity

 Social Media Forum list

What band saw for an aspiring cue maker?

GoldCrown
TheGrandWazoo said:
I am not a cue maker either but I do a lot of woodworking. I bought a used Jet 14” bandsaw for $800 and it does everything I have asked of it. It was in good shape but I replaced the tires and upgraded the blade guide and it was as good as new. Saved about $1500 buying used.
Click to expand...
Jet equipment is excellent. Parts are usually available. Customer service is good.
Click to expand...

Perhaps You May Be Able To Recommend or Possibly Help Me?

Bavafongoul
philly said:
I hope you don't take this the wrong way. I know you are an avid collector and enjoy the process of custom cue building and getting involved in the process and I also love many of your replies in the various forums on AZB but there is no substitute for pocketing balls. My point is that we may overthink the situation on our way to simply pocketing balls while getting shape.
I'm currently in the process of building an old school box cue. Birdseye maple and ebony. Cut diamonds and dots. Traditional old school. Four razor sharp pointy points signed and dated. It will have a Kielwood shaft.
I gave the maker one of my shafts to duplicate the taper and diameter.
Tried carbon fiber. Like wood better.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
Should have it by the end of summer.
Click to expand...
It is all comes down to what you so excellently summed up……pocketing balls……and the harder the shot, the greater
measure of satisfaction is derived and also bolstered sense of self-confidence. How you achieve that is a individualistic
approach to the game. Obviously, like sports athletes, we want to use the best equipment thinking it helps us do better.
Click to expand...

Perhaps You May Be Able To Recommend or Possibly Help Me?

Bavafongoul
skor said:
I just received the InFuzed kielwood shaft, which is a hybrid shaft made of kielwood with a carbon insert at the front end. I got it with a 14-thread insert and 12.5 mm diameter (there are also 12 mm & 12.9 mm). It is a flat-faced joint, which is what I was looking for to match a Linds cue that I have with a flat-faced 5/16x14 long pin. It also fits my Schons, McDaniels, Jacoby, and Scruggs.

It weighs 122 grams, which is 4.3 oz.

Looks like it could answer your quest.

www.cueandcase.com

Pure X Kielwood Carbon InFUZED Solid Shaft

Buy the Pure X Kielwood Carbon InFUZED Solid Shaft and more quality pool, billiards, and game room gear for sale online from Cue & Case.
www.cueandcase.com www.cueandcase.com

I'll take it out shooting tonight and post my initial thoughts about it.
Click to expand...
All the sellers on eBay I contacted, and there were a lot of different brands offering 3/8x10 and 3/8x11 threads, either never responded or didn’t have any that shafts in their inventory that came close including distributors of Infuzed.

Now none of these individuals were actual builders but simply sellers and/or distributors of the Kielwood brand on their eBay auction listings. I tried the eBay thing months ago. Keep in mind I’ve posted about Schmelke Kielwood shafts, 30” versions, that my closest friend ordered at my suggestion. His 13 mm version is over 4 ozs and the 12.8mm shaft is 3.83ozs. I was prepared to use Schmelke but just thought a cue maker should be able to do even better.

As I wrote, most cue makers I spoke with didn’t think what I wanted could be built without adding weight around the collar in different ways. That was a last resort to me and I suspect changes the way a pool cue wood shaft otherwise resonates, i.e., vibration, sound and feel. Anyway, I never believed it was necessary but had a hard time getting one built. The cue maker I tried that seemed confident couldn’t do it, or didn’t with my order. So it was back to square 1.

Right now I have a different, but also very prominent named, cue maker building me 2 Kielwood shafts. Please don’t infer I am saying my shafts are special or play better than any KW shaft you have or might buy. Oh gosh, no. That’s as
dumb as saying my cues play better than your pool cues. GTF outta here if anyone believes you can buy a cue that plays better. Go buy a violin, trumphet, piano, flute……pay more or pay less…..doesn’t mattter because it is always the
musician playing it that matters more than the instrument played. Cues are the same & IMO, you should be able to get
what you like or want as long as you are willing to pay for it, within reason of course. I think that applies to KW shafts.
Click to expand...

Are You Capable Of Building A Heavy Version KW Shaft?

bdcues
Bavafongoul said:
Thank you for your post. I know a lot of folks must think I have some aberrant minded views about cues. Heck, they could be correct. But I fervently believe in what I’ve preached for decades. Find out what works best for you and stick with it. So I strive to avoid deviating much In my approach to pool cues.

What has been interesting is the different opinions I’ve encountered from cue makers I contacted to tackle this, as well as a long list of other Azers that either think I’m whistling Dixie or don’t know my ass from my elbow about pool cues.

So far very few cue makers have indicated they can build a KW shaft over 4 ozs. without having to add weight to the shaft and it doesn’t need to be 13mm diameter or a 30” length either. I’ve ordered 12.75mm shafts and 29” length with a 5/8” ferrule. The cue maker didn’t hesitate the slightest at what I wanted him to build. And the best part is he’s has already built shafts like I want made. I never got around to speaking with Pechauer because I had placed an order with a different cue maker this past April for two KW shafts.

I only started this new thread after learning they weren’t able to build what I wanted and the 1st of the KW shafts they were making weighed 3.6 ozs.which is around the average weight of most KW shafts (3.4-3.7 ozs.). My Barnhart KW is 3.8 ozs which is my minimum shaft weight but I want 4 ozs or heavier to match my cues original maple shafts.

I am truly astonished at the differing cue maker opinions I encountered about building a heavier version KW shaft. It literally became contradictory views about what is doable and what isn’t. However, a heavier KW shaft can be made but requires adding weight towards the collar. And the ways of adding weight also differed by cue maker. I never believed adding weight should be necessary but I don’t build pool cues either. So when a cue maker tells me I’ve already built KW shafts even heavier than what you want without having to add weight to the shaft, then I’m all ears.

Pechauer is a talented cue maker and I like his workmanship. Not crazy about his standard cue joint but 3/8x10 and 3/8x11 wouldn’t be difficult for him to build. It was just bad timing because I resumed my cue maker search just the other day after starting this thread. I have a hunch that my golden rule about shaft and butt weight ratios will get adopted by some folks and they’re in store for a pleasant surprise. The balance on your cue couldn’t be any better.

When the shafts are finished, I’ll report back on the results. I think that heavier version KW shafts will perform better and the front end mass on those shafts will be lighter just like other KW shafts. But everyone has different tastes and opinions when it comes to pool cues. I failed on my last two searches for a Hercek flat ivory cue and Cortland Linen (white w/blk spec). This time I think I am going to be successful because I find giving up a very distasteful strategy.

Thanks for being interested in this thread and let’s see how it turns out. My hope is it increases interest in & popularity of KW shafts. And it would be amazing if more folks tried this and reported my golden rule for pool cues holds true.
Click to expand...
To clarify a couple of items above - A 4.0oz Kielwood shaft weighs exactly as much as a 4.0oz regular Maple shaft so the frontal mass on the Kielwood will not be less than the regular Maple.... it will be exactly the same. One advantage of Kielwood is the lighter weight while being slightly stiffer than regular Maple but if the total shaft weight is the same than the advantage is simply being stiffer. I add weight to all my shafts that weigh less than 3.6oz and can make them any weight desired. I do have a dowel now that would make a 4.4oz 12.75mm non inserted shaft. With any of the inserts you would be looking over 4.6oz. The advantage of taking a lighter shaft to start and adding weight is that now you actually do have less frontal mass compared to a heavier shaft with no weight and the added weight does not negatively impact playability.

The reason kielwood is lighter is the lower moisture content, 4% compared to 8% and higher. That's twice as much water weight or more. And while there is over a 2oz spread in regular Maple shaft weights the same is true in Kielwood, the Kielwood is just lighter due to less moisture and no free sugars which are baked out during the process. This lack of free sugars, to me, is the most important aspect of Kielwood, then the added stiffness due to the change in cell structure, then the lighter forward mass.
Click to expand...

Perhaps You May Be Able To Recommend or Possibly Help Me?

philly
Bavafongoul said:
Dunno about that…..what I know is the cue maker said he’s done it before and it is not that hard to do.

You have to select the right type of wood, weigh the blanks individually, categorize by cue weight range,
and maintain tight control over the torrification process. He has many hundreds of Kielwood blanks to
choose from and has built KW shafts over 4 ozs. before whereas others haven’t or don’t think it’s doable.

I happen to wholeheartedly concur with the cue maker and it was uplifting to hear that this isn’t just a mere
attempt and let’s see how close it turns out. Nope, this was more of anything else you want besides weight?
It was entirely a can do discussion instead of let’s see how it turns out or weight can be added around the collar.
The cue maker said everything was dependent on the wood selected and it was easy if you have the right wood.

Don’t misconstrue my comments to be brash, presumptuous, pontificating or anything other than I’m just passing
along, sort of sharing, news and developments on my thread pursuing a certain type of a Kielwood shaft. Hopefully,
others find this of some interest or are curious but I am learning along the way as are some readers of my posts.
Click to expand...

I hope you don't take this the wrong way. I know you are an avid collector and enjoy the process of custom cue building and getting involved in the process and I also love many of your replies in the various forums on AZB but there is no substitute for pocketing balls. My point is that we may overthink the situation on our way to simply pocketing balls while getting shape.
I'm currently in the process of building an old school box cue. Birdseye maple and ebony. Cut diamonds and dots. Traditional old school. Four razor sharp pointy points signed and dated. It will have a Kielwood shaft.
I gave the maker one of my shafts to duplicate the taper and diameter.
Tried carbon fiber. Like wood better.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
Should have it by the end of summer.
Click to expand...
Load more

Filter

Back
Top